


Picking Wallflowers

by labellelunaclaire



Series: AUgust 2020 [2]
Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: AU-gust 2020, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexual Elena Fisher, Bisexual Nathan Drake, F/M, Past Nathan Drake/Chloe Frazer, Past Nathan Drake/Harry Flynn - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25368457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/labellelunaclaire/pseuds/labellelunaclaire
Summary: Day 2 — College“Have you ever been at a party where two of your exes end up making out on the sofa for the world to see?” a voice beside her asked, pulling her out of her own head.“What?” she asked, turning to face a handsome man she hadn’t even noticed had come to stand beside her.“It looked like you weren’t having much fun at this party,” he said. “I just figured you’d like to know that there’s someone here having even less fun.”
Relationships: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher
Series: AUgust 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860763
Kudos: 21
Collections: AUgust 2020





	Picking Wallflowers

**Author's Note:**

> I’m so ridiculously in love with this fic. It was the first one I finished for the AUgust Challenge, and I’m so happy with how it turned out. Raging bisexual Nathan Drake is my all-time fav.

Elena stood in the corner with a mostly flat beer in her hand, watching the party unfold around her.

The beer was just a prop to keep guys from coming up and offering to get her a drink. An old trick she’d learned in high school when she wanted to look cool by being at a party, but didn’t actually want to _be_ at the party.

She hoped that college parties might be different, but they weren’t. They were still too hot, too crowded, too loud, and too full of drunk idiots to be any fun. She kept scanning the room for the friend she’d come with, but hadn’t seen him since shortly after they’d arrived. She felt like it would be rude to leave without saying anything, so she just stayed in the corner, watching.

She _should_ be in her dorm, working on the paper she had due in polisci, or at least polishing her resume to apply to an opening on the school paper, but instead she was at a party, bored out of her mind, standing next to a fake rubber tree and wishing she was literally anywhere else.

“Have you ever been at a party where two of your exes end up making out on the sofa for the world to see?” a voice beside her asked, pulling her out of her own head.

“What?” she asked, turning to face a handsome man she hadn’t even noticed had come to stand beside her.

“It looked like you weren’t having much fun at this party,” he said. “I just figured you’d like to know that there’s someone here having even _less_ fun.”

He tilted his stubbled chin across the room, drawing her attention to where a girl in a red shirt and a guy with douchey slicked back hair were absolutely going at it on the couch.

“Sucks,” she said. “So, wait, you dated _both_ of them?”

“Yeah, can you believe it?” he said with a laugh, his brown eye lighting up as a carefree smile blossomed across his face. “I have terrible taste in men. Harry’s not even the worst guy I’ve dated. Chloe is alright, though. We’re still good friends. Doesn’t mean it’s not weird as hell to see two of your exes locking lips.”

He looked directly at Elena for the first time and held out his hand. “I’m Nathan Drake. Third year archeology major,” he said.

Elena took his hand firmly. “Elena,” she responded, unwilling to give out any more information just yet, no matter how handsome and friendly Nathan seemed to be.

“Let me guess. Health admin?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“Your major,” he clarified. “I’m guessing healthcare administration. No, wait, I changed my mind. I’m gonna say sociology. Tell me I’m at least close.”

Elena laughed. “Wow, does that usually work for you, Nathan?” she challenged, finally starting to relax and have a little fun.

He raised his eyebrows. “Why, is it working?”

She rolled her eyes, but she smiled, entirely charmed. “Journalism. I’m studying journalism.”

“Ah, that was going to be my next guess!” he said boisterously. “You’ve got the look about you. Are you hungry? I could go for a pizza.”

* * *

Half an hour later, Elena was sitting at a table across from Nathan Drake in a little pizza place on the square called _Flying Pie_ , waiting for their pizza to be brought out to them. She wasn’t sure why she thought it was a good idea to leave the party with a complete stranger, but she did at least find her friend, Jeff, to point out Nathan and say where they were going. Jeff told her to text him when she got home safely, and made sure she had her pepper spray on her before she left.

It didn’t seem that she would need it, though. Nathan didn’t seem to mind when she insisted on filling her own drink or giving him a crumpled five dollar bill she found in the bottom of her purse (because what college student keeps cash on them?) to help pay for the pizza they ordered. In fact, despite his cocky smile, he seemed rather gentlemanly. And when their pizza arrived — a white and green pie with pesto and mozzarella and artichoke and broccoli — he let her pick the first slice.

“So, what type of journalism do you want to do?” he asked after practically inhaling his first slice of pizza.

“I grew up watching a lot of Nat Geo,” Elena explained, adding pepper flakes to her pizza. “It’s my dream to have my own show some day.”

“Sounds like you’d get along with half of the archeology department,” Nathan joked, preparing to start in on another piece. “That’s what got a lot of them into archeology.”

“And what about you?” she asked. “What made you interested in it?”

Nathan shrugged as he ate half of his slice in one bite. “My mom was an archeologist,” he said after he swallowed. “I grew up surrounded by her journals and research notes, hanging out in the back room of museums and private collections with all the artifacts. Pretty boring for a little kid, but I definitely appreciate it now.”

“She must be pretty proud that you’re following in her footsteps,” Elena noted.

Nathan’s face fell a little, almost imperceptibly, but Elena was a master at reading expressions, and knew she had stumbled on a touchy subject.

“I hope she’d be proud,” he said before Elena could begin apologizing. “She died when I was young. I was raised by some of her friends. My dad wasn’t exactly parent of the year.” He took a deep breath and let out a sigh, and then his smile was back, brighter than ever.

“Anyways,” he continued, clearly not wanting to dwell on his past right now. “I also just really loved _The Mummy_ . Brendan Fraser _and_ Rachel Weisz? Yes please.”

Elena laughed, and Nathan laughed with her. “I agree on both counts,” she told him. “Let me guess, you also love _Indiana Jones_ and play _Tomb Raider_?”

His face lit up with false surprise. “You already know me so well!”

Elena rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone to check the time.

“I should probably get going,” she said when she saw that it was almost 1:30. “I definitely don’t want to be out on the Square when the bars close.”

“Totally understand,” Nathan responded, flipping the lid on the pizza box closes. “Do you want to hang out another time? We could watch _The Mummy_ and talk about how hot Rick and Evie are.”

Elena smiled. “Yeah, that sounds fun.” She pulled up a rideshare app on her phone. “Do you want to split a ride home?” she asked, showing him the screen.

“Nah,” he said, wiping the table down with a napkin. “I’ll just walk back. I’m sure the party is still raging on, so I’m not in any hurry to get back.”

“Wait a minute,” Elena said. “Hold on. That was _your_ house?”

Nathan grinned. “Yup. So you know where to find me in the future. And I’m _definitely_ going to have to burn that sofa when I move out.”

**Author's Note:**

> Confession: I’ve never actually watched _The Mummy._ I’ve always wanted to, just haven’t gotten the chance! But I know that Nathan would be super into it.
> 
> Big thanks to my fiancée for beta reading for me, and for not discouraging me from participating in AUgust, even though she lowkey thinks I’m crazy for doing it.


End file.
